LIAM HANLON is an “Ironman” specialist whose company is a superhero to homes and firms hit by fire and flood. Hanlon is director of the Les Forshaw Group, the Liverpool company that specialises in insurance-related repair work and in repairing properties hit by floods and fires.

But, in his spare time, Hanlon, 41, loves taking part in triathlons – gruelling endurance events including swimming, cycling and running. He has competed in a number of Ironman events, regarded as the toughest type of triathlon, where participants have to swim for 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles and run a marathon – all in one day.

That tough training will help Hanlon and his fellow directors as, like all business managers in late 2008, they knuckle down to get through the current downturn.

But he is confident the company’s partnerships in the insurance sector will allow it to keep growing at a time when general construction firms are feeling the pinch.

Forshaw’s flood recovery teams were called on last year to cope with the aftermath of the flooding that swept Yorkshire. His company mopped up Hull, Sheffield and Doncaster, towns where tens of thousands of people were forced out of their houses as rivers in the country burst their banks.

Once the water subsided, those people faced months of repair work.

More than a year later, Forshaw teams are still at work in Yorkshire, both finishing off repairs and mending damage which has only recently come to light.

Hanlon said: “We use intelligent drying systems and a scientific approach to drying out buildings. Rather than just bringing in a load of drying gear and fans, we measure specific relative humidity and air temperature and create an ideal drying chamber. We can work out how many machines we need and how long it’s going to take.”

Forshaw staff may formally be acting on behalf of the insurance companies – but they also have to respect the wishes of householders who may be living in or near the property while work is carried out.

The construction industry generally has improved its game in recent years when it comes to customer service – but great customer service is even more important for Forshaw staff who carry out complex repairs while working around people’s’ day-to-day lives.

Hanlon said: “Working in occupied property, inevitably you’re considering all the time the effect on the environment and people and keep changing your working practices.

“That’s why a lot of companies cannot do this. There are a lot of good builders but they cannot adapt to that environment.”

Companies affected by fire or flood often cannot afford to stop work, giving Forshaw teams another challenge.

Hanlon said: “If you’re working in a factory that cannot shut down their processes it means working out of hours and scheduling work so that the factory is still operational.”

Forshaw employs 50 people at its head office in Liverpool and other offices in Crewe, Kinmel Bay, in North Wales, and Horwich, in Lancashire.

The business was founded in 1948 by Les Forshaw and became one of the city’s best-known painting and decorating businesses.

In the late 1980s, the company began moving into the insurance market. Today, around half its £5m turnover comes from fire and flood disaster repair work, and the rest coming from general claims-related repairs.

Hanlon describes Forshaw’s role as “complete claim management” from taking the call from an insurer to handing a property back to its occupiers. The group works in partnership with loss adjusters, claims handlers and brokers including leading claims management firms Crawford, Merlin and GAB Robins.

Hanlon, a director at the group alongside Richard Forshaw, Lynne Forshaw and Martin Cornes, joined the building trade straight from school.

He started at Balfour Beatty under the Youth Training Scheme and rose through the ranks before joining Preston company Kerfoot as general foreman.

Then, 15 years ago, his friend, Forshaw director Richard Forshaw, suggested he join his business.

But, at the same time, Hanlon was preparing for another challenge – going to university for the first time. He had signed up to a four-year course studying sports science and biology at Liverpool University, and chose to combine a full-time degree with working for Forshaw.

“That was a cracking time in my life,” he smiled.

“You often hear students whingeing about studying. I got married in my first year, had my first child in the second year and had my second child just before my finals.

“I finished with a 2:1, was the student union sports personality of the year, got full colours for boxing and half-colours for ski-ing.”

Back at Forshaw, Hanlon focused on improving the company’s back-office systems to help it work more efficiently and win new business.

The company designed its own bespoke computer system, the Client Information Management System (CIMS), to handle all the data on its work.

“Dealing with insurance companies is a very technological business,” said Hanlon. “Everything is web-based.”

Hanlon says the group will continue to stretch outside its existing coverage area in the North West and North Wales and will consider opening new offices as it trains up new teams in new parts of the country. He also wants the business to take on more higher-value jobs as it bids to double the size of the business over the next three to five years.

The credit crunch is worrying for every business, but Hanlon is confident in his company’s prospects.

“It affects everybody and there’s increased competition,” he said. “But it just means we’ve got to be sharper and a bit better than everybody else.”

Hanlon, who lives in West Kirby with his wife Debbie and equally sports-mad children Kiera, 10, and Caitlin, eight, says his competitive triathlon days are now over.

“Now the most important thing to me is to be a good role model to my kids and keep a healthy way of living.”

alistairhoughton